Making Decisions in Times of Uncertainty: Gemini Full Moon
This month’s Full Moon may call us to make a decision in a moment of uncertainty. We may have to sit with the implications of being human—to experience the frustration of being confused and unsure of the best path but forced to make a choice nonetheless.
Neptune is squaring the Full Moon, suggesting we may be at a confusing crossroads. Neptune, or Poseidon in the Greek Pantheon, is the god of the seas, a planet that suggests oceanic feelings of merging with the universe. Neptune’s energy tends to melt and confuse things when he aspects other planets, bringing a fog of uncertainty.
The Full Moon is in Gemini III, the sign's last 10 degrees (“decan”). Gemini is an air sign ruled by Mercury, the god of communication. It is a sign about gathering and sharing information that helps inform our choices. It represents the battle of light and dark, of what is “known” and “unknown.” It is the sign of the twins Castor and Pollux, Cain and Abel, Remus and Romulus. In each of these stories, one of the twins represents the divine/omniscient/light and one the human/ignorant/dark side of human nature.
The sign of Gemini plays out the dance of the battle between light and dark, particularly in our minds. In the beginning degrees of Gemini, we are asking questions, gathering data, working with conflicting information, and perseverating over what we should or should not do. By the time planets reach the last 10 degrees of Gemini, we have worn ourselves out with our thinking; a choice must be made.
The tarot card associated with Gemini III captures this idea perfectly. At first blush, it seems like a frightening and morbid card that may carry a bad omen. On closer inspection, we see the card signifies coming to the end of an imperfect decision-making process—making peace with a situation over which we have no control. A man has been stabbed by ten swords, apparently dead on the ground.
10 of Swords, Rider-Waite Tarot
At the same time, while a dark cloud is in the background, it is lifting, and the light is emerging. The man’s fingers are making a hand gesture, a bit like, “ok, everything’s ok.” In fact, the hand is making a religious gesture that signifies a divine blessing, a symbol of coming to peace with what is. Swords and Gemini both represent the mind and thinking. Tens in the tarot deck all deal with completion, the ending of a process. Putting this all together, you get the feel of the end of a long process of grappling with a question in our minds. We have worked through, puzzled, and thought about the right thing to do, and we can think no more. One choice wins out over another not because we are sure it is the correct choice but more because the mind has played itself out—there is a limit to our knowledge, and we must sometimes decide without reassurances of what is to come. Like the man in the card, we must make peace with the limitations of our knowledge and leave the rest to fate.
If you’d like help understanding the meaning of this cycle in your life, feel free to reach out for a reading.
Or, if you’d like to take a deeper dive into astrology and learn about the meanings of the houses, planets, and signs in your chart, I’d love to have you join me for my upcoming Introduction to Astrology Course. It will be live over Zoom on Saturday mornings (10 am CST/11 am EST) from February 1-March 8. Sessions will be recorded. We will cover the ABCs of astrology, including house meanings. The class offers all the tools you need to read a simple birth chart for yourself, friends, or family. The best way to learn astrology is by working with your chart, so the class also includes weekly chart practice with participants’ charts. There is a link below if you are interested.
